Snack More, Weigh Less...

Weight loss is a big issue these days, with all manner of get-thin-quick diet strategies inundating the market in the form of infomercials, Web sites and magazine ads. Most promise quick results, which everyone wants – but don't necessarily teach how to achieve lasting results that keep you from ending up frustrated and right back where you started. That's bad news because obesity – and its many related health problems – has reached epidemic proportions in America and elsewhere.

Regardless of the diet plan / strategy, effective, long-term weight loss and weight maintenance relies on a few simple principles, one of which, according to an increasing body of research, is healthy snacking. Yes, we said snacking. Think you need to starve yourself to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight? Too many people have that misconception despite increasing evidence to the contrary.

Case in point: According to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, frequency of snacking was associated with weight in that normal-weight subjects consumed an average of 2.3 snacks a day and subjects who maintained their weight loss consumed 1.9 snacks a day, on average. By comparison, overweight study participants reported eating only 1.5 snacks per day.

The lesson? Eat good food often and your body will reward you for it!